Mystery surrounds death of giant turtle that washed ashore on Sydney Beach

IT is being labelled by one expert as the largest turtle he has seen in the wild. But how did this sea beautiful creature, that washed ashore on a Sydney Beach, die?

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IT’S not every day you see a turtle wash ashore on Sydney’s northern beaches — particularly one this big. In fact it’s the largest sea turtle many have ever seen in the wild and as to why it died is a mystery.

Avalon’s Lachie Skillen came across this enormous turtle while running along North Palm Beach on Tuesday afternoon.

“We (Mr Skillen and his girlfriend) were shocked,” he said.

“I’ve lived around the northern beaches my whole life and never seen a turtle here before.

“It would have been well over one metre long, we guessed.”

The discovery comes after a possum was found washed up at Dee Why earlier this month. Picture: Iris Brusse

Conservationist Dave Thomas, of Eco Divers, believed the creature was a large green sea turtle.

Considering how large it was, he estimated — from the photo — it would be about 30-40 years old.

Local conservationist Dave Thomas. Pic: Adam Ward

He also said it was likely a female due it’s small tail.

“I’ve been diving for 30-plus years and have never seen a turtle that large in the wild,” he said.

“It’s unusual to see a big one like that.”

Mr Thomas said it was hard to determine how the animal would have died without a necropsy.

A green sea turtle swims the Great Barrier Reef. Picture: Brendan Radke